Student of the Wildmage
by dirksies
Summary: The Wildmage gets her first student, a girl named Artemas. Artemas barely begins to learn as disaster strikes. This story happens right after RotG. R&R pretty please! Discontinued
1. Swimming Lessons

Hello Everybody! This story is going to kick off my Christmas set. I am going to post more chapters on my existing story and post two other stories that I am working on. Well here goes the first one….. Info. about story: Happens right after RotG, on a fictional island.

Disclaimer: Not mine….hers.

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Chapter One: Swim Lesson

"Put some backbone in tu it!" bellowed Old Eli over all the chattering we were making. I dove into the water and started to swim a practiced freestyle down the length of the swim area, about 25 yards, touched the dock, doing a flip turn, and back again. I pulled myself onto the dock, dripping icy cold water. Brushing a wet blond lock out of my face, I realized I was the first one there. I sat back, breathing in the deep salt air, and reflected.

I lived on the small island of Ruhen, off the coast of Tortall. It was closest to the fief Blue Harbor. Ruhen was a fairly small island, about 4 miles long and 3 miles wide. It used to be a quiet island but now it was being used as a base to protect the coast from Copper Isle raiders.

I normally had chores at this time, but it was Sunday, no chores today! Old Eli had agreed to give us swim lessons on Sunday's. The youngest of the swimmers there was about seven and the oldest was about fifteen. I'm thirteen, thank-you very much.

I glanced over beside me and saw I wasn't alone. Marcus Kaluem was hunched over, breathing hard, dripping water. He was the heart throb of the small island, but I couldn't see why though, his personality was as sour as a lemon. The other swimmers were crawling out of the water, some shivering.

Trisha, a very good friend of mine, was with them. I also saw my older brother Mactel, my sister next to me, but younger, in age Collena, and my younger brother Eben. My littlest sister, Leasel, was too young to take swimming lessons. Trisha sat next to me and grinned at me, I grinned back.

"That was good," said Eli, looking us over. He was an old sailor from the royal navy. He was also a tailor of sorts, he had fashioned the swim gear we were now wearing. Eli had us get in the water and tread water for ten minutes. He then finished the swim practice by saying, "Good practice."

"Come on Artemas," said Trisha wrapping herself in a towel, and standing up.

"No, my lady, you go ahead. I'll meet you later," I said, walking to the end of the dock, I had heard someone calling.

I got to the end of the dock and saw a gray body, a dorsal fin, and a laughing smile. "Wave Dancer!" I said, sitting down, dipping my toes in the water. "I haven't seen you in a while."

_I know, _she said, _It__ was a hard winter, but I'm back now._

"It was a hard winter," I said nodding. I had known Wave Dancer for a long time; she was almost like another sister to me. My ears then picked up two other voices. Turning around I saw the owners of those voices, both very familiar.

Lily, the tabby/tortoise shell cat, walked down the dead center of the dock peering at the water darkly. Harry, the golden retriever, was bounding down the dock, wagging his tail wildly.

_I don't know how you can enjoy that stuff,_ said Lily to no one in particular, looking at the water.

_Easily,_ said Wave Dancer, smoothly.

_Hi, Artemas! Your swim practice is done, _observed Harry, perfectly oblivious to the already occurring conversation. Lily looked at Harry, rolled her eyes, and then began to wash her fur.

"What do you have against water?" I asked, watching Lily

_I don't know about you,_ said Lily between licks, _but water is awfully messy. It gets all over my coat._

"You just don't like it because you fell in that one summer as a kitten," I said, bursting Lily's bubble. The picture of a soaked Lily, sulking as she tongue drying herself made me grin. Wave Dancer slightly wrinkled her eyes in a dolphin smile/laugh.

_Or it might be because in water, she is definitely not the graceful creature she would like to be,_ said the dolphin. Lily picked herself up and stalked away, tail held high. _She's mad at me, right?_ said Wave Dancer watching Lily leave.

"Yes, her pride's been scarred, but she bur she is also trying to make you feel bad," I replied, also watching Lily leave. She had tried that trick on me, _many_ times. Harry sat next to me, head on my lap. "Do you have any news from the main land?" I asked Wave Dancer, while I was stroking Harry's head.

_Yes,_ said Wave Dancer, _The war is over._

"Oh, good," I said.

_Also there is a rumor going around, _continued Wave Dancer, as I leaned toward to listen, _there is a two-legger who is able to talk to, heal, and become the People. She is being called a Wildmage._

"What's a Wildmage?" I asked

_It means they have a connection with the People, from what I understand._

"Wouldn't it be wonderful, to meet someone like that?" I sighed, swirling my toes in the water.

_Yes, it would,_ said both Wave Dancer and Harry.

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I hoped you liked! R and R.


	2. Maid Duties

I was bored so I decided to update. Sorry, for taking so long. This chapter is kind of short and not much happens, but it is important. I promise to do the next update sooner than four months. Maybe tomorrow……. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Chapter Two: Maid Duties 

Dressed in a plain black skirt and white top, with my short dark blond hair pinned back in a bun, I walked down the hallway of the ruling lord's house of my small island home. I was cradling my sewing kit in my arms. I strolleddown the drafty hallway, to my mistress's quarters. I wasn't her constant companion (like some other noble's maids), but I was her maid.

I opened the door and saw a girl the same size as me, with honey brown hair, and with her back to me. I knew her eyes were a dark blue. She turned around. I did a curtsy and said, "Mistress, it is a joy to see you again. Was your morning swim enjoyable?" I said all this with a cheery sounding voice and dramatic arm movements.

She giggled, "Artemas, you know you don't have to call me 'mistress', Trisha is just fine. And must you enter so, uh, dramatically?"

"Yes," I replied, impishly. Trisha and I had been friends ever since we were young. I still insisted on calling her "mistress" or "lady". Just to remind her that she was noble. Her family was pretty good for being noble and all; they cared for their people and respected their opinions.

"And I'm just reminding you of your place, and mine," I added, as I bustled around the apartment, picking up.

"Always humble," she murmured (I looked at her, wondering ifshe was being sarcastic), then she added, "And, no, I don't need anything," answering my unasked question.

I nodded, then plopped down on a chair, grabbing my sewing kit, and beginning to mend Trisha's clothes. We gossiped, trading noble news for common. Most nobles didn't talk to their servants so openly, but my lord was an "idealist". He trusted his servants and, in turn, we trusted him. They allowed us to express our opinions without fear of being flogged. But he also made sure we knew when to keep quiet and listen.

Trisha and I chatted for awhile, mending clothes or cleaning swim gear. "Let's go practice," Trisha said a few hours later. I knew what she meant. I grabbed her's and my bows and quivers, and went down to the practice yard. We shot a couple rounds. I hit the middle or near it most of the time. I was feeling prettypleased of myself.

Then I helped Trisha prepare for dinner with Lord Albert and Lady Lanza, her parents. I served my lady at a dinner of turkey, beans, fruit, and wine. Then I went home to my own dinner.

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I walked into my cozy house. The sun was just dipping under the horizon. My mom greeted me from the fireplace as mylittlest sistertried to trample me. My mom was wearing her dark blond hair pulledback with a rag and was wearing an apron. "Easy, Leasel," I grunted, as she wrapped her arms around my waist in a death grip. 

After she let go, I went over to my mother to help prepare dinner. My little sister, Collena, soon joined me at cutting the meat and vegetables. Finally, the men tramped into the kitchen (after all the food was ready, of course).

First my dad, a muscular, light blond haired man with twinkling gray blues eyes. He was beginig to show his age with a few gray hairs.Then entered my older brother, John, he looked a lot like my father and his voice was beginning to crack. My little brother brought up the rear. He looked like my mom with dark blond hair, but he still had gray blue eyes.

We all have different shades of blond hair and blue eyes thanks to both of my grandparents being from Scanra. They migrated to Tortall because they despised Scanra's unsteady royal families, and saw the promise of Totall's firm monarchy.

My whole family sat around the table, on benches, a little cozy, but completely content. We all ate. Harry was under the table, begging for food. Lily was by the fireplace, purring.

My father was the captain of the men-at-arms at Ruhen. He builds up a lot of stress, and we are kind of his drain. He doesn't burden us with his stress, but if he didn't let some of it out, he would explode. Right now he was talking about the war on the mainland. "-all them immortals are bombardin' Port Legann. I might be called there soon."

"Dad, you won't be sent to Port Legann," I said, the room went silent. _Stupid! _I thought to myself. I had learned at a young age, that my ability to talk to animals was not normal and to keep quiet it. But sometimes it slips.

"What do you mean?" my brother, John, asked.

"Uh, a friend told me it was over," I muttered, my eyes not meeting anybody else's.

My dad looked hard at me, unconvinced, then said, "If you say so." The chatter eventually returned to its normal noise level, loud. I finished my dinner in silence and went to bed early that night.

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I hoped you like it! Review please! 


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